Touch monitor – how to make a choice?
It is much easier and faster to control a computer by touching the screen than by using the mouse and keyboard. The absence of unnecessary peripherals and the presence of a convenient, intuitively understandable interface makes sensory systems increasingly popular in trade and the service sector. But what specifically to choose for work?
About the market
The market of touch monitors for the trade sector is clearly segmented: these are touch monitors for POS (10-15 inches) and touch panels for placement in public access areas (desktop, wall mounted and recessed). Prices, demand and sales in these categories vary greatly. Trends are also different. In the first case, this is a reduction in the thickness of the case and a more elegant design. In the second – the desire of manufacturers to offer the lowest possible price (for example, a 17-inch capacitive monitor for embedding in payment terminals – the model that is most in demand). Another trend is for larger models (21-inch models and more are becoming popular (42-inch touchscreen monitors appeared on our market, larger sizes are possible when custom-made). ”Compared to 2005, the sales of touch-screen monitors and terminals increased by about 50%. It is very difficult to single out a separate model – the sales leader. Of the monitors, those that have the ability to embed a mounted magnetic card reader turned out to be the most in demand, ”says Vladimir Pavlov from KKS.
It so happened that in retail, mainly modular POS with a keyboard are used, and in the HoReCa sector monoblock systems controlled by touch screen displays are more popular. This is due to the fact that the “touch” version is more compact and easily fits, say, behind a bar counter. The lack of a keyboard means that it will not be soiled with food or filled with drinks (of course, you can use a specially protected keyboard, but this option is not always convenient and often only increases the cost of the entire POS system). Another advantage of touchscreen monitors over conventional ones is that they reduce customer service time: the operator at the checkout does not need to make unnecessary movements (hold the mouse, move the cursor to the right place on the screen, spend seconds searching for keys, etc. ). The user simply presses his finger on the symbol or the inscription displayed on the display, and immediately sees the result of their actions. The interface of “keyboardless monitors” is clear and simple: all the necessary positions are displayed on the display – an ideal find for trade and service enterprises when there is a limited number of product lines and sales volumes are large. Comprehensive visibility is important not only to the cashier or waiter, but also to the buyer. Intuitive interfaces are designed specifically for sensory systems, so it is very easy for the client user to work with such equipment — in any case, it is not more difficult than flipping through a magazine, guidebook or instruction. Despite the popularity of sensor equipment in the HoReCa sector, the positions of POS systems with traditional monitors and programmable keyboards in retail are quite strong. This is explained by the savings factor: now the prices for the touch screen have decreased a little, but not so much that their use, for example, in supermarkets was economically justified. However, the touch screen has its own potential (and quite promising) niche in retail. These are fashion stores, where more and more attention is paid to the spectacular appearance of POS systems.
“Touch the selected object”
The choice of touch monitor depends on the task for which it will be used. For example, models with a large screen (19 or more inches) are convenient for entering and viewing information, most often embedded in a wall, advertising stand or another constructive. Small-format monitors (15 inches and less) are good because they take up little space and save space at the close counter. Of fundamental importance when choosing a touchscreen monitor is the technology based on which it is made since each of them implies certain limitations in use. There are four main technologies: resistive, capacitive, based on the effects of surface acoustic waves (SAW) or infrared radiation on a glass surface. Resistive technology is the most popular and affordable, highly sensitive, not afraid of dust and moisture. Disadvantages are low screen brightness, fear of sharp objects and shorter service life compared to the others. For these reasons, resistive screens are best suited for catering and most often used there, and for public access screens, other technologies are better suited: capacitive, surfactant and infrared. Capacitive touch panels feature high resolution, good image quality, low response time and reliability. Strong and durable, they are used in touch kiosks and payment terminals, gaming machines, etc. The lack of capacitive technology is the inability of the screen to respond to anything other than the “bare” finger, so the technology is based on using the capacity of the human body to redistribute the screen voltage and register the touch (hence its name — capacitive ”). Screens based on surfactant technology have high brightness, good resolution and are relatively not expensive. But the technology has a significant drawback – high sensitivity to the effects of various external factors: temperature, pressure, the chemical composition of the environment, etc. Chewing gum or a sticker stuck to the screen, a dried up lump – and it instantly loses sensitivity to other objects. Infrared screens are not afraid of the weather and temperature changes. But they are extremely sensitive to UV (solar) radiation. Infrared screens are the most durable: their service life does not depend on the number of touches. Each of these technologies has its own negative features: resistive models “break” (the screen surface deteriorates from the slightest scratches), capacitive “overwritten” with your fingers, infrared too sensitive. As the saying goes, a fly has gone – she has sold the goods. True, for this you need to find a very smart fly, capable of making several consecutive clicks. However, hypothetically, this possibility exists that the most important parameters for touchscreen LCD monitors, in addition to touchscreen technology and price, are: the connection interface (unlike other manufacturers, all touchscreen monitors from Elo Touch Systems have a universal RS / USB controller) and operating system support environments (all Elo monitors work in both Windows and Linux). Denis Pukhov, director of TouchGames: “The choice of the desired touch screen monitor model depends on the purpose for which you are going to use it. Sometimes it’s more important not so much its diagonal size as the ability to accurately and vividly display information. Crucial is the technology by which the monitor was produced. You should not, of course, choose a resistive touchscreen monitor, if you assume that access to it will be unlimited. An important characteristic is the sensitivity of the contact patch.
Brand or noname?
Touch screens can be offered in the form of ready-made monitors, which can only be connected to a computer, or in the form of individual elements (panel, controller, driver software, cable), mounted by the buyer on the desired device.
